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Poll: How many different brands/styles of strings do you use?

How many different brands/styles of strings do you use?

  • All the same

    Votes: 80 24.9%

  • My rounds are the same and my flats are the same

    Votes: 48 15.0%

  • Every bass is different

    Votes: 164 51.1%

  • Never really thought about it

    Votes: 7 2.2%

  • Carrots

    Votes: 22 6.9%
  • Total voters
    321
#81
Kijuer said:
Whatever I use, they go dead after 3 weeks. Damn. Makes me wonder whether my idea of "strings dying" is totally wrong if none seem to last as long as I thought they should or I am sweating some weird sort of acid from my skin which destroys them 10x faster than normal!
Click to expand...
I have very, very, acidic skin which is why all of my basses get Elixirs*. They're more expensive at the outset but they last much longer than anything else. I also love SIT Foundations, I alternate between the two.

* except for my P, which gets Roto flats, as a P-bass should, and my Dingwall, which gets Paysons since Elixirs don't fit.
 
#83
TI flats on the old FrankenFender P/J
TI rounds on the Lakland JO
RotoSound RS66 rounds on the Newer P with older J neck.
SIT or EB super slinky rounds on whatever else is laying about.

The TIs are all 5-10 years old, and I like the Slinkys best after they lose some zing.
 
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#85
My two main basses (FCS '60 Jazz Bass reissue, Lull V4) both have DR Pure Blues. My '82 Jazz has Dunlop Marcus Miller signature strings. My fretless has DR Nickel Lowriders, though I sometimes use Pure Blues or Sunbeams if I want to hear something a little different.

I just got an NS Design electric upright. It needed strings and I went with GHS Crossovers.
 
#86
I voted carrots, even though I'm not really sure what that means! :roflmao: Seriously - some get flats, most get rounds, one or two have tapewounds (sound esp. great on my Hofner Club bass). Mostly these days, cheap is the primary criterion. In the last millennium I would sometimes find some brand of string on close-out at the local music store at around $10/set and just buy 10 sets. These days I'm using a lot of Allen Eden strings. They're a bit higher tension than average, which I really like. The attack seems more focused and punchy. That being said, I still have several different brands in my trusty Anvil briefcase!
 
#87
When I played rounds, I put Elixirs on all my basses.
Two simple reasons: They felt best to my fingers because they were a bit softer and they lasted a pretty long time. I do not like them too fresh and Elixirs right out of the box sound like Earnie Balls that have been played a week.

Switching to flats felt like a natural progression for me - they all last a long time and they all are even softer to the touch than Elixirs.
But they come with a mean problem of their own: You have to put a set on a bass and then play that bass heavily for half a year before you get a glimpse of what the strings truly sound like.
You even have to play heavily for two weeks to get a glimpse of what they feel like.

I don't know if I'll settle on a brand for the future, but at the moment, I have Optima flats on my main, Pyramid flats on my backup and Chromes on my P.
 
#92
I had a friend who recommended Dean Markley Blue Steel Nickel's many years ago they were my go to round wounds strings until they were hard to find during the pandemic. I switched to MJC Ironworks Nickel's then Mike got sick and eventually passed away. So, early 2022 I bought all the 4/5 string Nickel sets of MJC's I could find. Also, around that same time I was able to find DM Nickel's again and bought several 4 string sets just in case they became hard to find once again.

In the midst of all this I bought 2 Stingray Specials tried out the Slinky's on the 5H and discovered I liked them. So, when I got a PJ IV I put on Slinky's and they did not disappoint. As it turns out that same friend is now endorsed by Ernie Ball Slinky's. So, going forward when I use up all of my set of strings I'll be using Slinky's since I prefer Nickel over stainless steel and they are easy to find.

Fretless has D'adarrio Tape wounds.
P/J has Ernie Ball Nickel Slinkys.
Jazz basses Dean Markley Blue Steel Nickel. (I have a few set of these laying around will switch to Slinky's once I use them up.)
Stingray Special 4 HH MJC Iron works Nickel's (bought all the MJC strings I could find last year after Mike passed away. Would have been my strings of choice if he hadn't passed.)
Stingray Special 5H Ernie Ball Nickle Slinky's (next string change I will use MJC Iron works.)
 
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#95
I used to think I just loved and only used GHS Boomers. For 20 years I only used one bass. Boomers felt and sounded great, plus they lasted longer than most other rounds I had tried. I started branching out with a couple new basses and stuck with Boomers without giving it too much thought. 5-6 years ago I got a second p bass type instrument and threw some boomers on, and didn’t love it. The stock DR Pure Blues sounded way better but I didn’t like the feel (being used to steel boomers). So I tried a pair of Chromes that I had liked on another p bass, but those weren’t blowing me away either (even well after the break-in period). I found some TI JF344 “accordion accessories” for $45 and took the plunge. Those strings brought that bass to life!!! My other p bass sounds it’s best with dead boomers, so those went back on and now I have a great p with flats and great p with rounds. I recently got a cheap squier and put Nordstrand preamp and Big Splits in. The stock strings were junk, and now I need to try out the DR, chromes, and boomers I have laying around, but will be open to trying other strings if none of those get me excited.

TL/DR = Now I let the bass decide.

Fender Am Std P - Old Boomers
Moollon P - TI Jazz flats
Warwick Fortress - La Bella Super Steps (or whatever stepwound strings I can find because that stupid bridge)
Squier modded with active Nordy’s - ?
 
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#97
I used D'Addario EXL165 for years and swore by them. I tried DR Fat Beams a few years ago and now I can't use anything else. The sound and feel are so good. I tried the D'Addarios again last week because I got set for $18 and I just can't play them anymore. The tension feels too tight and they don't sound bright enough. The DRs are stainless with low tension and round core.
 
#99
Kijuer said:
Whatever I use, they go dead after 3 weeks. Damn. Makes me wonder whether my idea of "strings dying" is totally wrong if none seem to last as long as I thought they should or I am sweating some weird sort of acid from my skin which destroys them 10x faster than normal!
Click to expand...
I do think some people's sweat is more corrosive!
DR Highbeams last me a long time. Maybe give them a try.
Or you can always go for Elixirs.
 

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